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http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/thedarkness/view/127054/Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:23:50 +0100http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/thedarkness/view/127054/
In 2003, a new presence entered the music scene: The Darkness. The classic rockers' debut album ‘Permission to Land’ - complete with catsuit and tongue-in-cheek humour - reached No.1 in the UK, eventually going five times platinum.

On Monday (June 1) the group returned to the fray with their fourth record ‘Last of Our Kind’, and it sees The Darkness crank up the riffs, yet maintain all of the melody that made them a massive success in the 2000s.

Pressparty caught up with frontman Justin Hawkins to find out more about the album, new drummer Rufus Taylor and touring with Lady Gaga.

Is ‘Last of Our Kind’ the band’s best album yet?

"I think it is, yeah. We spent time concentrating on the songs and making sure they were as good as the first album, and we all love every song. I think it’s great. And I’m our sternest critic - I didn’t like the last two albums."

So what was it about the last two records that you didn’t really like?

"I felt like we were what our fans wanted us to be and we were trying to think about what had made us successful and famous."

I take it then you’re not too bothered where the new one lands in the charts?

"I don’t think it’s going to get to number one - I think Florence + The Machine will."

Your former drummer Emily Davies left earlier this year after joining in 2014. You said previously that she found it a bit 'demanding'?

"No, I didn’t say that. I think that might be a misquote. There’s different demands on someone who’s in a band like The Darkness, because she’s used to doing session work."

Did you get a sense quite quickly that things weren’t really working out with her?

"Not really. She’s a lovely person. When negotiations break down, I think you should just move on and get someone else to do it."

You’ve got Rufus Taylor now, son of Queen drummer Roger. Are you honoured to have Taylor blood in the band?

"I think his heritage is second to none. He’s definitely got a lot of his father’s attitude and he’s definitely rock and roll in the way he certainly doesn’t give a f*ck. And I appreciate those qualities. He’s just a brilliant drummer in his own right as well, and he’s a good guy too. So it’s a win all round."

Queen are a big influence on The Darkness, so what do you make of Adam Lambert’s stint in the band?

"He's one of the few people out there that could do that sort of thing. He's got the range to be able to sing the more demanding Queen songs. I do admire his talents. I wrote a song on his first album, so I've known him for a while now. I'm really happy for him."

Why has the classic rock genre endured for so long?

"I think that the bands who were originally doing classic rock - when it was just called rock - were geniuses and they wrote fantastic, enduring songs. And as a result of that they experienced a lifestyle that made people aspire to be in bands and do music. There is something about being a rockstar that people of all ages admire and long for. It’s a beautiful existence, doing what you love. And who doesn’t want to do that?"

You used to work as a jingle writer - did you harbour dreams to be this rockstar when you were doing that?

"My ambition in those days was to do music for films. I was sort of making good progress in that world, but then the band happened and it fell by the wayside. But I had thought I was too old for bands."

Do you find it harder to write a ten second jingle or a four minute rock song?

"They’re as equally difficult. The jingle - you’ve got a kernel of an idea that can be elaborated on that could be made into a ten minute rock epic, if you wanted to. I think if there’s too many ideas in a song, then it’s overwhelming. Anyway, the person that wrote ‘Mmm Danone’ - that just screams yoghurt. That is a great jingle. Amazing."

You supported Lady Gaga on tour a few years ago. Did her fans take kindly to your set?

Some of them did, some of them didn’t. We made a lot of friends on that tour, and I think we made a few enemies too. But it was a great experience.

Did you get to meet her?

Yeah, she took us on holiday at one point. We went with her to Amsterdam, it was lovely.

]]>London Newsdeskhttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/thedarkness/view/125914/Mon, 11 May 2015 07:55:01 +0100http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/thedarkness/view/125914/
Roger Taylor's son Rufus has joined The Darkness.

The drummer replaces outgoing member Emily Davies, who joined after original sticksman Ed Graham quit last year.

Guitarist Dan Hawkins told Real Radio XS: "We already have someone, and we actually played our first show with him last night.

"The 'drummist' will be known as Rufus Taylor, son of Roger Taylor."

The Darkness, who count Queen as a major influence, will release new album 'Last of Our Kind' on June 1.

]]>London Newsdeskhttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/Horse/view/120667/Tue, 20 Jan 2015 12:50:16 +0000http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/Horse/view/120667/
Renowned as one of Scotland’s all-time great vocalists, and for her sophisticated songcraft, Horse McDonald presents the première of her latest ambitious project, resurrecting the words of lost or neglected Scottish women poets in newly-composed musical settings.

Drawn from sources spanning several centuries, each song has been written to reflect the unique character of its subject, from Mary Queen of Scots to Olive Fraser.

These are words that are 'oft forgot' and a project very close to Horse's heart.

Horse will accompanied by a specially hand-picked band including piano, guitar, strings, cajone and internationally renowned harpist Phamie Gow.

The album, entitled The Diamond Speaks, will be released in the autumn.

Opening the show is Edinburgh singer-songwriter Austen George, winner of a Danny Kyle Open Stage Award in 2014, whose powerfully emotive voice and skilful songcraft have won comparisons with Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams.

]]>Horsehttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/105145/Sun, 02 Mar 2014 12:23:40 +0000http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/105145/
Rufus Wainwright has been speaking about his experience of coming out as gay.

The New York musician opened up during an interview with The Guardian to reveal the reactions of his mother and father – folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III.

Rufus explained: “Coming out to my parents was a nightmare. They reacted horrifically. There was fear, worry, shouting. I can't blame them. I was 18 and if you were a gay male in the late 80s you were basically presumed dead because of the Aids epidemic.”

Despite coming out in his teens Wainwright believes his sexuality was apparent much earlier as he stated:

“I was pretty gay from a young age – into cut-out dolls, Judy Garland, dressing up.”

Despite his earlier struggle Rufus is happily married to his husband Jörn Weisbrodt:

“In the past 10 years, Jörn has taught me to chill out and not take myself so seriously. He's eternally patient. He's also very tall, and everything is in proportion.”

The ‘Out Of The Game’ singer is also enjoying life as a father after the birth of his first child, Viva:

“My daughter finishing her broccoli is, these days, on a par with having a worldwide number one record for me. Viva has changed my life – I'm in awe of her.”

Rufus Wainwright recently released 'Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright'.

Sunday February, 17 -- One of the most daring and influential artists of our time, Yoko Ono, celebrated her eightieth birthday with a sold-out performance to an energetic and hugely responsive crowd at the legendary Volksbühne in Berlin. YOKO ONO PLASTIC ONO BAND was led by her son, Sean Ono Lennon, who collaborated with Yoko on her critically-acclaimed 2009 record, Between My Head And The Sky.

Guests joining Yoko on stage included Peaches, Michael Stipe, Robyn Hitchcock and Rufus Wainwright & Martha Wainwright, who sang "Happy Birthday" in English and German. Jiga, Eva and Masumi, a local Berlin synth-pop trio, opened the show with their song "Hey, Yoko."

Musicians

Sean Lennon - guitar, piano, bass

Yuka C. Honda- keyboard / laptop (Cibo Matto)

Yuko Araki - drums (Cornelius)

Nels Cline - guitar (Wilco)

Michael Leonhart - trumpet (Steely Dan / Donald Fagen)

Charlotte Kemp Muhl - bass, guitar (Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger)

Jared Samuel -keyboard (Invisible Familiars)

Set list

It Happened

Waiting For The D Train

Between My Head And The Sky

Moving Mountains

Calling

There's No Goodbye

Walking On Thin Ice

Rising

Yes, I'm A Witch

Cheshire Cat

Mindtrain

Higa Noboru

Give Peace A Chance

Earlier in the week, on February 15, Yoko Ono's retrospective, HALF-A-WIND SHOW opened at the Schirn Kuntshalle in Frankfurt and will tour to major museums across Denmark, Austria and Spain in 2013 and 2014. Numerous projects are slated for 2013 including the reissue of Ono's albums from 1968-1985, a career-spanning art book, Infinite Universe At Dawn highlighting six decades of her work, and the curation of the 2013 Meltdown Festival at Southbank Centre in London in June.

Over the past few years, Ono has achieved a record string of nine consecutive #1 hits on the Billboard dance charts. Her latest dance single, "Hold Me" was released last week. In September, Ono released the improvisational YOKOKIMTHURSTON album with Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Other recent collaborations have included recordings and performances with Eric Clapton, Lady Gaga, RZA, Antony, Ornette Coleman, the Flaming Lips, Pet Shop Boys, Mark Ronson and tUnE-yArDs.

Between My Head And The Sky received 4 & 5-star rave reviews from Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, Uncut, NME, Spin & many more, and was picked among Mojo Magazine's top albums of the year. Additionally, Mojo honored Yoko with a Lifetime Achievement Award and she received the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at The Venice Biennale.

The US guitarist, who has previously achieved chart-toppers with White Stripes’ ‘Elephant’ in 2003 and ‘Icky Thump’ in 2007, dethroned Adele’s record-breaking ‘21’ to take the top spot at the first time of trying.

Rufus Wainwright’s ‘Out Of The Game’ entered at No.5, just below previous number ones from Nicki Minaj (‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’) and Lana Del Rey (‘Born To Die’), while Olly Murs’ ‘In Case You Didn’t Know’ climbed back into the Top 10 following the screening of his ITV2 behind-the-scenes series.

Elsewhere, there were new entries for Feeder’s ‘Generation Freakshow’ (No.13), The Chieftains' 'Voice Of Ages' (No.25) and Santigold’s ‘Master Of My Make Believe’ (No.33), while there were re-entries for Stereophonics' 'Best Of: Decade In The Sun' (No.32) and Bee Gees' 'Number Ones' (No.37).

]]>London Newsdeskhttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/londonnewsdesk/view/45598/Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:47:59 +0100http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/londonnewsdesk/view/45598/
Jack White is on course to displace Adele at the top of the UK albums chart this weekend with his debut solo effort 'Blunderbuss'.

The White Stripes man is currently reigning supreme in the midweek chart update, with Adele's '21' dropping from No.1 to No.3.

Fellow new entry Rufus Wainwright meanwhile enters the chart at No.2 with his album 'Out Of The Game'.

Elsewhere in the midweek albums chart, Feeder return with their No.5 album 'Generation Freakshow', whilst Jason Mraz slips down to No.8 with his effort 'Love Is A Four Letter Word'.

Jessie J is in at No.10 with her album 'Who You Are' as she continues to enjoy the success of her new BBC talent show The Voice.

Watch the video for Jack White's 'Sixteen Saltines' below:

]]>London Newsdeskhttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/45531/Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:18:42 +0100http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/45531/
New Record Out of the Game Out May 1st on Decca

Rufus Wainwright will take his new album Out of the Game out on the road with an 8-piece band this Spring & Summer for a highly anticipated North American tour. This is the first time he has toured with a band since 2008's 'Release The Stars' tour.

Critically heralded, Out of the Game has been dubbed "a triumphant return to pop" by ROLLING STONE, and NPR says "The key is his gift for melody. Wainwright's music throws lines in the air with a grace and confidence rarely heard in contemporary music." Rufus is also profiled in the current double-issue of Newsweek on-stands now. To read the whole feature on-line, click here.

Currently in the middle of a European promotional blitz, Rufus recently performed on the popular "Graham Norton Show" in the UK, where the album is holding steady at # 2 overall on their early chart ranking. To view the "Graham Norton Show" performance see below.

To view the much-buzzed about Out of the Game music video featuring Helena Bonham Carter, see below:

Presale for tickets begins on Wednesday, April 25th, and on sale to the general public on Friday, April 27th: www.ticketmaster.com

]]>Rufus Wainwrighthttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/42790/Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:35:27 +0000http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/42790/
Rufus Wainwright has hit out at Lady Gaga in a new interview which reveals his dislike for both her music and her songs’ messages.

The 38-year-old was speaking to Music Week about his new album, 'Out Of The Game,' when he confessed that its rather critical lyrics were inspired by his problems with the ‘Born This Way’ star:

“I totally admire her tenacity, her ambition and her strength of vision. There’s just not one good song there. People, especially gay men, are falling so hard for it."

Wainwright, who will play London’s Lyceum Theatre on April 30, went onto admit that he’s also not convinced by her self-empowering lyrics:

"Certain things that she says: 'Look at me. I was like you one day and now I’m this – and you can do it too.' I find it a bit disingenuous. We are in this somewhat sinister period and artists have got to kind of toughen up and be real. It's about conveying what’s inside us, as opposed to the return of the cone breasts. I find it predictable and boring."

Produced by Mark Ronson and featuring guest appearances from sister Martha, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ guitarist Nick Zinner and Sean Lennon, 'Out Of The Game' is released on Apr 23.

The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform from July 18-23, having only the evening of July 20 off, at the exquisite venue in England's capital for a string of shows billed as "House of Rufus: 5 Nights of Velvet, Glamour and Guilt".

His sister, Martha, will join him on July 19 and his father, Loudon, will also make an appearance in what will be a very intimate and somewhat family orientated series of shows. He will also pay tribute to Judy Garland and the complete residency's itinerary, as revealed by the Royal Opera House, is as follows:

18 July - Rufus Does Judy! With Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Oremus.

19 July - An Evening with Rufus and Martha Wainwright and band.

21 July - An Evening with Rufus and Loudon Wainwright III and band.

22 July - Rufus Does Judy! With Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Oremus.

23 July - Concert Version of Prima Donna with Janis Kelly, plus Rufus Does Rufus with Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Oremus.

The dates, which were originally announced at the end of last year, are still accepting ticket bookings and you can watch a recent interview with the musician here:

]]>London Newsdeskhttp://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/20549/Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:40:10 +0000http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/rufuswainwright/view/20549/
Rufus Wainwright has become a dad for the first time.

The openly gay singer/songwriter took to his website to announce the happy news.

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2011 -- Two shows will be held in honor of the late Kate McGarrigle at Town Hall on May 12and 13. A tribute to the iconic and influential singer/songwriter, the shows, curated by Joe Boyd, will showcase performances by Kate’s children, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Kate’s sister, Anna McGarrigle, Jimmy Fallon, Emmylou Harris, Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), Krystle Warren, Teddy Thompson, Justin Bond, and more. In conjunction with the shows, Nonesuch Records will release a new edition of the first two Kate & Anna McGarrigle albums.

From the release of that eponymous album in 1976, Kate and Anna McGarrigle defined a sophisticated yet traditional branch of North American song. Their rich harmonies, rooted in the Irish and Quebecois music of their upbringing, drew listeners into a personal world of songs about romance, heartbreak, chemistry, solitude, ageing and adventure. This concert will reveal an artist who possessed an extraordinary gift for the craft of composition, showcased in such songs as Go Leave, (Talk to Me of) Mendocino, Kiss and Say Goodbye, and Tell My Sister, to name a few.

Kate McGarrigle was diagnosed in 2006 with a rare form of cancer known as Sarcoma, which affects connective tissue such as bone, muscle, nerves and cartilage. She lost her battle in January of 2010, age 63, surrounded by a singing group of family and friends at her home in Montreal. All profits from these shows will go toward the creation of the Kate McGarrigle Sarcoma Research Fund in association with the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA).

The performers will be accompanied by a band very familiar with Kate’s catalog, including Thomas Bartlett on piano, Jane McGarrigle on piano, Calum MacColl on guitar, Anna McGarrigle on piano and accordion, Brad Albetta on bass, Bryan Devendorf on drums, Michel Pepin on guitar, Chaim Tannenbaum on mandolin and banjo and Joel Zifkin on violin (the last three regular members of Kate & Anna’s touring group).

Last June the first Kate McGarrigle celebration was staged at the Royal Festival Hall in London and sold out within hours (see fan footage below) . Six national British publications reviewed the show with all awarding it an unprecedented 5 stars. The evening was perhaps best summed up by one journalist calling it “…a heartfelt and fitting tribute to a remarkable woman.”

Tickets go on sale Monday, February 7 at noon by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Box Office sales begin on April 21 at the Town Hall box office; $40.00 - $75.00

This concert is presented by Absolutely Live Entertainment in association with Joe Boyd and Catherine Steinmann.